1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self-closing gate which may be used, inter alia, as a stock gate on farms, pastoral properties or the like.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There have been many proposals for self-closing stock gates and a number of these have reached the manufacturing stage. Most of the gates presently availatle have a number of significant practical disadvantages. The closing mechanisms employed are often complex and rely on systems of springs and linkages to return the gate to the upright closed position. Such systems are expensive to manufacture and assemble and have been proved to be unreliable in field use, being subject to severe service conditions due to a combination of rain, dust, heat and a lack of regular maintenance. It must be appreciated that farmers are notoriously bad at maintaining equipment and will often operate equipment to failure before carrying out any maintenance or servicing.
With most gates, the area adjacent the bottom rail of the gate must be built up so that minimal weight is applied to the bottom rail as a vehicle passes over the rail to prevent the rail from becoming bent, and thereby causing the gate to jam in an open position.